Subj : Re: Calling a function before it's declared
To   : netscape.public.mozilla.jseng
From : Brook Monroe
Date : Wed Nov 24 2004 09:55 am

Egor Senin wrote:
> Hi !
> 
> Is there any way to make the following code work in Rhino:
> 
> funcThatIsDeclaredLater();
> function funcThatIsDeclaredLater(){    
>   // do something
> }
> 
> The problem is that the function is declared after it's called.
> 
> Egor.

You don't need to do that in JavaScript. Declaration order isn't 
critical. Calling functions that haven't been defined yet will work 
because the call resolution occurs at run-time, not compile time.

The following is perfectly legal (and I tested it):

function callit()
{
	return callthem();
}

function callme()
{
	return callyou();
}

function callyou()
{
	return 2;
}

function callthem()
{
	return callme();
}

Calls to callit() will return 2.

If this example doesn't work in Rhino, it's because there's a problem in 
Rhino.  (And I don't think there would be, although I'm using 
SpiderMonkey.  I have no reason to believe that Rhino would be different 
in this respect, because both are following ECMA.)  So far as I know, 
ECMA-262 doesn't allow C-style function pre-declaration--but I haven't 
read the spec in over 2 years, and things change.

.